Heatwaves

Most of India, barring parts of northwest and the peninsular region, is expected to experience above-normal maximum temperatures from April to June, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday. It said above-normal heatwave days are predicted in most parts of central, east and northwest India during this period. "During the 2023 hot weather season (April to June), most parts of the country are expected to experience above-normal maximum temperatures, except for south peninsular India and some parts of northwest India where normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely," the IMD said. "A significantly higher number of heatwave days are predicted over parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mahapatra said in a virtual press conference. A heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degree Celsius in the plains, at

The national weather office has forecast rising temperatures in the coming weeks after India experienced its hottest February since 1901

The government on Monday said it has set up a committee to monitor the impact of rise in temperature on the wheat crop. The move comes amid a forecast by the National Crop Forecast Centre (NCFC) that maximum temperature in major wheat producing areas barring Madhya Pradesh was higher-than-average of the last seven years during the first week of February. Even the Met Department has projected above-normal temperature in Gujarat, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in next two days. Speaking to reporters, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja said, "We have set up a committee to monitor the situation arising due to increase in temperature on the wheat crop." The committee will issue advisories to farmers on adopting micro irrigation, he said. The committee, to be headed by the Agriculture Commissioner, will also have members from Karnal-based Wheat Research Institute and representatives from major wheat growing states, he added. The Secretary, however, said there won't be an impac

Heat-related deaths increased by 68 per cent between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021, while vulnerable populations -- the elderly and children less than a year old -- were exposed to 3.7 billion more heatwave days in 2021 than annually in 1986-2005, according to a global report. The report, brought out by Lancet Countdown, focuses on the health effects of climate change amid the health, social and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, global energy and cost-of-living crises brought about by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a persistent overdependence on fossil fuels. While floods in Australia, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Pakistan and other countries have caused thousands of deaths, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses, wildfires have caused devastation in countries like Greece, Algeria, Italy, Spain and record temperatures have been recorded in many countries, according to the report. According to the report, extreme weather events ...

Globally, hydropower generates more electricity than nuclear and more power than wind and solar combined. In countries like Norway and Brazil, dams generate more than half of total electricity

In addition to the rainfall, a heat wave in India and Pakistan earlier this year, also fueled by climate change, worsened the flooding that left a third of Pakistan under water, the scientists found.

Covid cases, property sector woes also keep PMI below 50 in August

According to the weather service, France has been struggling with more and stronger heatwaves for the last few decades

Heatwaves in the continent have already put a strain on energy supplies and worries are growing that any disruption during winter months could be devastating for business activity

More than 1,500 people have been evacuated to safe places

But heavy rainfall in Liaoning province has damaged crop output

India's wheat production is projected to have declined nearly 3 per cent to 106.84 million tonnes while the overall foodgrain production is estimated to have touched record 315.72 million tonnes in the 2021-22 crop year. The wheat production is estimated to have declined due to heatwave that resulted in shrivelled grains in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. Releasing the fourth advance estimate for the 2021-22 crop year, the Union agriculture ministry on Wednesday said a record output is also estimated for rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane. The crop year 2021-22 was from July 2021 to June 2022. The country's overall foodgrain production is estimated to be record 315.72 million tonnes in the crop year that ended in June 2022, according to the ministry. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said record production of so many crops was the result of the government's farmer-friendly policies as well as tireless hard work of the farmers

Heatwave continues to hit most parts of France this week, triggering a drought alert in the wake of the driest July in more than 60 years

The heat wave in early 2022 was the key domestic factor responsible for pushing up food prices this year, a Crisil Ratings arm said on Monday.

The UK's heat wave earlier this month fueled so many blazes in London that the city's fire service was busier than any day since Nazi attacks in World War II

London data centers used by Google and Oracle Corp. buckled on Tuesday after a record-setting heat wave hit Britain, knocking some websites offline

Wildfires have so far burnt more than 22,000 hectares of woodland and scrub in Spain since the start of the heatwave over a week ago, emergency services calculated

Over 90 red alerts issued across China for high temperatures; Shanghai issues red alerts, rare for the city; power load on grids hits record in seven provinces, regions

Exporters could do better as domestic firms are hit by monsoon delay, inventories

Rain lashed parts of Delhi on Thursday morning, bringing the temperature down to 30 degrees Celsius